Therapeutic shower



Aug. 16, 1960 Filed Dec. 31, 1952 S. R. KOOLNIS THERAPEUTIC SHOWER 4 Shets-Sheet 1 $774NLE). k. KOOLN/S ATTORNEY INVENTOR Aug. 16, 1960 s. R. KOOLNIS 2,949,109

THERAPEUTIC SHOWER Filed Dec. 31, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 S7I4NLEY R. KOOLNIS ATTORNEY 1960 s. R. KOOLNIS 2,949,109

THERAPEUTICSHOWER I FiledDec. 51,1952 4Sheets-Sheet3 -FJTnTjJuTmJm INVENTOR flcT l4- $7'74NLEY R. kOOLN/S ATTORNEY Aug. 16,1960

Filed Dec. 31, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 aAumc FOR. SHOWERS 3 Z w q a i. 3 m w B w w W 2 n1 m ,W H mm a 2 l .a z k 8 w v I W l l v WATER HEATER.

WATER COOLER RECYCLE l INVENTOR j $774NLEV R. KOOL N/S BY 4% F; W

A'ITORNE Y United States Patent ice: Patn iijl ii THERAPEUTIC SHOWER Stanley R. Koolnis, New York, N .Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Duo-Temp Manufacturing Corp, Hohokus, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 31, 1952, Ser. No. 328,950

6 Claims. (Cl. 12866) This invention relates to an improved human body stimulating method and apparatus wherein hot and cold fluid is applied to the body surface in simultaneously applied jets to independent but closely adjacent areas of the skin.

More particularly, the invention is outstandingly useful as a hydrotherapy to impart a stimulating effect to the skin surface by spraying fine needle-like jets simultaneously of hot and cold liquids to closely adjacent areas of the skin which liquids can mix, and will exchange heat to come to a common temperature only after impacting upon the surface of the skin of the person treated therewith and imparting thereto two independent and simultaneously applied hot and cold stimuli.

In operation of the method and apparatus of this invention, fluids such as liquids as gases, preferably water or air are treated as separate portions. One portion is heated and applied to the body by hot jets at a relatively high temperature in a range from what would be comfortably hot water to the extreme to which the body could tolerate even instantaneously, such as between 100 to 170 F., and the other portion of the fluid would be applied to the body cold, and if desirably cold water is not otherwise available, refrigerated to a temperature ranging from 32 to about a usual cold Water temperature of about 50 F. The two fluids hot and cold are applied to the body in simultaneous sprays of needlelike jets, the jets being adjusted to strike the body at any desired pressure as independent jets without substantial admixture and temperature modification of one jet with the next, prior to striking the body. The net effect is both a tingling and stimulating eifect upon the skin and as the fluids immediately mix after striking the skin, there is a heat exchange and neutralization of temperature extremes to a common temperature of the mixture upon the skin after impingement by fluid jets thereon which is comfortably warm, hot, or cool, whichever is desired. It will be apparent that the fluids preheated and precooled may be extra hot and extra cool beyond what would normally be applied as a shower to the human body, since the extremes of temperature after striking the body become quickly modified by admixture upon the skin.

It will be understood that the stimulating effect upon the skin primarily results from the temperature differential of two fluids simultaneously striking adjacent areas to give opposite temperature stimulating effect to the skin. For this purpose, the primary characteristic to effect stimulation is that there be a substantial temperature differential between the fluids which should be of the order of at least about 40 and preferably greater. A greater stimulation results, of course, when the temperature differential between the fluids is substantially greater and the maximum stimulation would result when the hot fluid is at an extremely high temperature and the cold fluid is at an extremely cold temperature. In

2 the case of water, for example, the cold fluid may be at the freezing point and the hot fluid, inasmuch as the temperature is quickly neutralized between the two fluids immediately after striking the skin may be even hotter than the body would normally tolerate, since the impingement of an extremely hot jet is merely momentary and will strike the skin surface which immediately after beginning will have been wet by water at an intermediate comfortable temperature. Thus the [hot fluid may be as high as F., a limit which will vary somewhat with individuals whose skin is more or less sensitive to temperature extremes. Moreover, within these temperature extremes of separate hot and cold jet impingement upon the skin, the quantity of fluid supplied by each type of jet, hot or cold, may be varied each wtih respect to the other, so that the resulting temperature of the fluid upon the skin after admixture of jets is any desirable resultant temperature, hot, moderate, or cool. However, whatever the final temperature of the admixed fluids upon the skin, the stimulating efiect will result from the temperature diflerential originally applied before admixture upon the skin. The individual jets are spaced close enough to strike the skin in relatively close adjacent skin areas usually with not over one inch in spaced position of impact upon the skin, and desirably less, such as A; to /2 inch in separate spacing so as merely to allow the hot and cold jets to be independently projected without substantial admixture and heat exchange therebetween prior to striking the skin. The method and apparatus effective for heating, cooling and independently spraying fluids upon the human body having a wide temperature differential may take several forms, of which the drawings herewith are illustrative Fig. 1 illustrates a left hand portion in elevation of an assembly of pipes for spraying heated fluid;

Fig. 2 illustrates a right hand portion of an assembly of pipes for spraying cold fluid, both Figs. 1 and 2 being complementary for illustrating assembly of both into a unit;

Fig. 3 is an end section through Figs. 1 and 2 when assembled, the hot fluid pipe of 'Fig. 1 being spaced as a layer of pipe with respect to the cold fluid pipe layer of Fig. 2 to spray both hot and cold fluid as independent jets from a common spray head;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Figs. 1 and 2 with parts broken away and in section taken on the lines 4-4 of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 illustrates the application of the hot and cold fluid spraying device mounted on an adjustable support for application to a human body lying prone on a table;

Fig. 6 illustrates a cooling device for the cold fluid using ice as a refrigerant;

Fig. 7 is a modified type of ice refrigerating device;

Fig. 8 illustrates a combined heating and cooling device;

Fig. 9 illustrates the mounting of both hot and cold ducts bored into a single unitary solid block;

Fig. 10 is an end section through the unit block taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal or plan section taken on the line 1111 of Fig. 9 to illustrate a hot fluid tube bore through the unitary block; 7 1

Fig. 12a is a detail showing the double spray jets of a hot fluid duct; t V

Fig. 12b is a detail showing a single spray jet of a a cold fluid duct;

Fig. 13 illustrates the supply of fluid as a manifold for assembly to the unitary block of Fig. 9;

Figs. 14 and 14a illustrates the manner of assembly of the block of Fig. 9 assembled with fluid supplying manifolds of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a detail illustrating the condition of hot and cold droplets of fluid as they strike the skin;

Fig. 16 is a flow diagram for operation of the assembl l ig. 17 is a diagram illustrating mounting of control valves and rapid vertical adjustment of a spray head mounted over a bath tub.

Referring to the drawings Figs. 1 to 4, hot fluid such as hot water or hot air are supplied from a suitable source of heating, described hereinafter, through a duct controlled in quantity and pressure by a valve 12 and a temperature modifying cold fluid is supplied through a duct 14 controlled by a valve 16 and are mixed in a common pipe 18 for supply to a hot fluid header or manifold 20 as controlled by a valve 22.

The header or manifold 20 is an elongated duct as shown in Fig. 1 having a curved outer wall 21 closed at an inlet side by a plate 23 in which is fastened supply duct 18 as by threading or welding in fluid-tight manner. The header 20 is open on an angular side 17, the open portion being surrounded by a flange 25 to allow communication with each of a layer of spray tubes 24 disposed in a plane to provide a multi-jet spray of heated fluid. Each of the tubes 24 are fastened as by threading, welding or peening the ends to a plate 27 which is bored with a row of spray tube holes 26a to direct fluid into each spray tube 24 fastened therein. The plate 2.7 is fastened as by bolting at the edges to the flange 25 for fluid-tight distribution of fluid from the duct 20 to each of the spray tubes 24. Each tube 24 has a series of fine openings 28 bored therein radially to communicate with the outer side of the layer of tubes and to allow fluid to be emitted as a jet from each opening 28 at an angle to the plane of mounting of the several tubes 24 whereby fluid will be emitted in jets directed obliquely downwardly rather than perpendicularly to said plane as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3.

The cold fluid jet spray counterpart of the spray head is illustrated in Fig. 2 and is of generally similar construction to that of Fig. 1. It comprises a cold Water header or manifold duct 29, having a curved outer wall 21 and an inner side similarly closed by a plate 23, in which a supply tube 3G for cold fluid is fastened, the opposite end of tube 30 leading from a cold fluid source as hereinafter described, the quantity thereof being controlled by a valve 31 therein. The supply duct or manifold 29, similarly flanged at 25 around its open side 17 has bolted thereto a plate 27 which is bored with a series of openings 26b into which are similarly fastened perpendicularly thereto the cold water tubes 32 for rigid horizontal support from plate 27 as a layer of separated tubes. The tubes 32 are bored with a series of small radial openings 33 which are directly perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the assembled layer of tubes 32 to direct jets of cold fluid therefrom vertically downward. As shown, the plate 27 of Fig. 2 is similarly fastened as by bolting to the flange portion 25 for mounting of the tube supporting plate 27 directly to th cold fluid supply manifold or duct 29.

Both sets of tubes 24 and 32 for hot and cold fluid respectively are assembled as a unit in adjacent pipe layers with the cold bank of tubes 32 lying as a layer behind the hot bank of tubes 24 as further illustrated in the section Figs. 3 and 4. In the assembled position, as shown in Fig. 3, the tubes 32 as a rearwardly displaced layer will have been mounted with the plate 27 similarly rearwardly displaced and the tubes 24, as a forwardly displaced layer with respect to the layer 32 will be mounted in a forward position together with its plate 27 so that upon assembly, distinct layers of tubes will be formed thereby. Moreover, each of both sets of tubes are spaced apart a short parallel distance and each of the tubes 32 are assembled upon its plate 27 in a manner to alternate with the tubes 34 so that a jet of fluid from the tubes 32 may be directed in the open space between the tubes 24. As diagrammatically shown in Fig. 3 and mentioned above, the jet openings 28 of the tubes 24 desirably direct fluid angularly or obliquely downwarly thereof, while the jet openings 33 in tubes 32 direct the fluid vertically downward, so that in the assembled position hot fluid jets and cold fluid jets will not strike each other. Moreover, the spacing of the jet openings 33 longitudinally of the tubes 32 is preferably such that they will alternate with the longitudinal spacing of the jets 28 from the tubes 24 so that the arrangement is such that totally independent projection of hot and cold fluid jets may be effected which are spaced to substantially avoid striking each other as the independent jet sprays of hot and cold fluid pass downwardly from the assembly. Thus independently hot and cold jets of fluid may be driven against the skin of a person positioned a substantial distance from the device for stimulating the skin by independent impacts of hot and cold jets which will not mix until after they have struck the surface area of the persons body.

The device after assembly may be mounted in side and back enclosing shields or housing plates 34 suitably fastened to plates 27 as by bolting to brackets, or angle irons 35 fastened thereto as shown in Fig. 4 so that all of the back and edge portions may be enclosed to enhance the appearance of the spray head assembly and to maintain both units of tubes in fixed assembly as a unit such as by bolting around the edges at 36.

The unit thus described may be mounted similar to a shower bath spray as shown in Figs. 5 and 17. As shown in Fig. 5 an adjustable support is provided comprising a floor stand 37 aflixed to the floor through a foot piece 38 as shown, or which if desired may be bent and affixed to a wall. The support or foot piece 38 carries a tubular leg portion 38 in which is vertically supported a movable shaft 39, slidably interfitted in the open tubular end of leg 38'. The lower portion of shaft 39 has horizontal teeth out therein to form a rack gear 40 which cooperates with a spur gear 41 keyed to a shaft 42 horizontally journaled in the in end of leg 38' for rotation by a hand wheel 43 to raise and lower the shaft 39 by rotation of spur gear 41 against the rack gear 40. The upper part of the shaft 39 has mounted thereto by locking hinges 13 a horizontally swinging bracket arm 44 which further has lock hinged at the outer end thereof a bracket arm 45 and a spray supportmg bracket 46. Thus optimum flexibility for vertical and horizontal adjustment for this support is possible as shown.

The hot and cold fluid is supplied to their respective spray tubes 24 and 32 through tubes 18 and 39 adjusted in ratio by valves 22 and 31. To further enhance flexibility for positioning of the spray head, the tubes 18 and 30 may themselves be flexible such as rubber hose, or may be partly rigid and partly flexible as at 13a and 39a (Flg. 17). In addition, for accurately controlling the desired temperature for opt'unum differential, thermometers or temperature gauges 47 and 48 are mounted in the lines for ready observation of the temperature of both the hot and the cold fluids.

As illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5, the vertical and horizontal adjustment might be made optimum to supply the combined hot and cold jet sprays to the prone body of a person shown at 49 reposing upon a horizontal bed 50 having suitable openings in the surface 51 to allow liquid, when the jets are liquid, to drain from the surface of the bed to. a tank 52 therebeneath into a lower drain 53. Alternatively, of course, the position of the jets may be adjusted for application to the body of a person standing upright as in an ordinary shower bath or in a sitting position Thus as shown in Fig. 17, the bed 50 may be replaced by a bath tub in which a person may sit or stand While receiving the spray. The spray head may be supported for vertical adjustment by ropes 111 entrained around pulleys or sheaves 112, the opposite ends of ropes 111 being fastened to a counter balancing weight 113 for manual movement of the spray head by lifting or pulling the weight 113 to'thereby position the spray head to optimum height for spray upon a body in a standing, sitting, or even prone position in a tub. Moreover, by suitable adjustment or fastening of support 37 the jets may be sprayed horizontally, but in a horizontal spray more careful adjustment of the fluid and disposition of the jets is necessary to avoid impingement of one jet upon the next before striking the body against whom they are directed, since even when sprayed horizontally they will tend to curve downward parabolically.

In general, variable somewhat with the seasons, suf-' ficiently cold water may be available from a normal municipal supply. However, for optimum effect it is desirable to refrigerate the water to obtain it adequately cold, even to the freezing point. For this purpose and as shown in Fig. 6 a container 54 may have mounted therein a duct 55 coiled for optimum heat transfer from a surrounding charge of ice fragments for cooling of water passed therethrough through an inlet 57 terminating in an outlet 5% controlled by valves 59. Such container may have a removable cover 60 and a drain for melted ice 61 controlled by a valve 62. Thus for a single stimulating treatment, the cover 60 may be removed from Fig. 6 and ice packed into the container 54 and then the municipal water supply passed therein through the coil 55 and thence through outlet 58 into pipe 30 for supply of cold water to the tubes 32 in jets.

In an alternative form of water cooler shown in Fig. 7 a container 63 may have an inner ice compartment 64 mounted vertically therein filled with ice, and water is passed through the outer jacket 66 formed therewith for cooling in heat exchange with the ice and passed thence through outlet 58 to the cold water supply pipe 30. The construction of Fig. 6 is more eflicient for cooling'of the water but at the same time is less economical construction as compared to the simplified cooler of Fig. 7, which, while less efiicient for cooling, is more economical and easier to refill with ice.

Any conventional heating means may be used for heating water or other fluid to give adequate hot supply thereof. Separate hot and cold fluid supply units are illustrated diagrammatically in Figs. 16 and 17. A combined unit both for heating and cooling separate supplies of fluid is shown in Fig. 8. As illustrated therein a tank 67 is divided into a cooling chamber 68 for cooling any fluid such as water and a heating chamber 69 for heating a fluid such as water, both separated by a heat insulating partition 70 into separate chambers. In the heating chamber 69, a series of electrical resistance wire heating coils 71 are mounted in one or more layers energized from a source of electrical current. Such current may be passed through any conventional adjustable thermostat '73 for control of water passed therein through inlet 74 and withdrawn through outlet 75 as hot water and passed through hot fluid supply line 18. Simultaneously, in the lower chamber 68 are mounted mechanical refrigerating coils 76 which are supplied with refrigerating fluid through a compressor 77 operated by a motor 78 for maintaining refrigerating coils 76 cold. Water is passed through a cold fluid inlet 79 for cooling by coils 76, and withdrawn as cooled water through outlet 80 and passed thence through cold fluid duct 30.

For maintaining the desired temperature differential of the two respectively hot and cold jets when liquid is used, (or air) as shown in Fig. 4, the hot fluid before passing to line 18 is sent first through a line which has a valve 12 for adjusting the flow thereof with respect to cold fluid inlet line 14 controlled by a valve 16 to adjust the temperature of the ultimate fluid passing through line 18.

However, such arrangement may be omitted as shown in Fig. 8 by applying heat with a thermostatic control 73 upon the hot fluid heater 69 Further temperature adjustment of hot with respect to cold fluid, of course, is derived by adjustment of the hot and cold relative flows through valves 22 and 31. These do not control temperature but quantity of fluid supplied by each jet, however, the ultimate temperature effect upon the human body is thereby controlled so that ultimate result is to leave the body coated with fluid relatively hot or relatively cool or cold after admixture of the jetson the body to a comfortable temperature. The ultimate temperature differential skin stimulating effect, of course, is obtained by the temperature of the cold fluid with respect to the temperature of the hot fluid originally sprayed and this temperature differential imparts the body stimulation efiect desired, whether or not after ultimate admixture upon the skin the resulting temperature is still hot, intermediate warm, or cool with respect to either the hot or cold jets. The objective of controls such as the preliminary blending of hot and cold, as by adjusting valves 12 and 16 with respect to each other, is merely to adjust the temperature of the hot fluid so that the independent hot jet thereof is not sprayed at a temperature which would burn or scald the skin. It will be appreciated in any case that such temperature, in view of the fact that after striking the skin will be quickly reduced by a modification with cold fluid simultaneously striking the same, may be substantially hotter than would normally be applied as a single hot fluid spray.

While the simplest application of this invention is to use Water as the fluid and heating and cooling separate portions for simultaneous spray in the apparatus described, other fluids may be used within the spirit of the present invention. For example, emollient oils such as light mineral oil having a skin soothing 'eflect may be used as the fluid, in which case the drain 53 shown in Fig. 5 would be closed and used as a reservoir tank which would operate as a supply tank for re-use of the fluid directly or after intermediate purification for redistributing the mineral oil as a source of fluid both to the heating and cooling portions of the apparatus. 1

Moreover, if desired, the fluid need not be liquid but may be gaseous, for example, ordinary air may be blown under a comfortable jet pressure by blowers as independent hot and cold jets with sufiicient pressure, of course, to strike the skin of the body as independent jets.

For the several modifications where water is the fluid, then the jets may be formed from the ordinary municipal supply under a usual pressure of about 60 lbs. However, it is safer to equip the apparatus with an additional pump to be certain that a constant water pressure is available to maintain a continuous jet pressure for the period of the treatment as well as a jet supply under pressure that will not vary from the heated water supply with respect to the cold as desirably set by the valves. In the case where a fluid other than water is supplied as the jet fluid, a pump is essential to supply the necessary jet pressure. Where a pump is used it will be designed to sufficiently high pressure up to p.s.i. to allow supply of jets adjustedby the valves 22 and 31 to a desired impact force against the skin. When gaseous fluid such as air is supplied, then the impeller will be a blower constructed to .develop suflicient pressure to supply the gas as independent jets variable from 5 to 25 lbs. to similarly impart not only a temperature but a pressure stimulating effect.

As indicated, the jets are sprayed from independent banks of bored tubes, one set for hot and the other for cold fluid, assembled together in adjacent areas to supply independent jets so that both heated and cooled jets will be simultaneously imparted upon the body in a relatively localized area. In the apparatus shown in Figs. 9 through 14 both hot andcold ducts are formed in a single unitary solid block spray head primarily for convenience of manufacture, rigidness, and simplicity of construction, with however, some disadvantage in modification of the extreme cold and heat supplied to the jets by heat transfer inherent in a solid block of material. However, such heat transfer, using materials such as plastic having relatively low heat transfer properties is not a serious defect in view of the other advantages of such construction. Thus as illustrated as a single molding in Figs. 9 and 10, a thick block of plastic material 81 such as Bakelite is bored from opposite sides in the plane of the block, alternately from each in a single layer of borings, the borings 82 from the left hand side of Fig. 9 to form cold fluid ducts, and borings 83 from the right hand side thereof to form the hot fluid ducts. As shown in the detailFig. 11, neither the borings 82 or 83 are carried completed through to the opposite side, thereby terminating inward from each opposite side as a closed duct. Each of the ducts 82 and 83 are thenbored radially from the same face of the block to allow the fluid to be emitted therefrom through the tiny pin hole borings 33 in the cold ducts and borings 28 in the hot fluid ducts. As shown in a detail Fig. 12a two such borings 28 would be supplied to allow angular jets of fluid to be expelled from the hot fluid tubes. 83 to be directed obliquely downward, and as shown in Fig. 1212 only one row of borings 33 is bored into each of the cold fluid tubes 82 for direct downward passage of cold jets. It will be understood that the direction of thrust of jets hot or cold, as illustrated throughout, is interchangeable, i.e. the cold jets may be directed obliquely downward, and the hot, vertically downward, but inasmuch as it is most usually desirable that the hot jets preponderate in quantity of fluid over the cold to leave the ultimate fluid on the skin relatively warm, two jets having the greater volume of fluid to be sprayed from the hot tubes 83 and only one in the cold as shown, is the arrangement most practical and preferred.

The bored plastic block spray head 81 is generally supported horizontally as shown in Fig. 14 for application of the several hot and cold jets and is similarly mounted between supply duct manifolds 84 and 85 for cold and hot fluid supply respectively to opposite sides of the block 81. The manifolds 84 and 85- may be simple die cast metal or plastic ducts to fit in fluid tight supply over relatively rectangular ends of the spray head 81 and may be flanged at 86 for fastening directly thereto as by bolting in small borings 86a therefor or may have resilient flanges as at 87 for snapping and resiliently securing about the edge of the block 81 as shown in Fig. 14; or a combination of a fastening means of both bolting as at 86a illustrated in the right hand portion of Fig. 14, and snapping, by an upwardly turned resilient flange 89 cooperating with the bottom face of the block 81 for resiliently supporting the manifolds 84 and 85 to the block 81. A detail of this type of flange is shown in Fig. 14a wherein the upper portion thereof has a screw fastening 86a at one upper side of the flange 86 and a resilient bead 89 at the lower portion thereof for resiliently mounting against the lower face of the block 81. The fluid supply to the manfold 85 as shown in Fig. 13 connects with the duct 30 controlled by a valve 31 for cold fluid, but a similar construction would be used for hot fluid and both manifolds 84 and 85 may be reinforced vertically after assembly by a bracket 90 of conventional construction as shown.

For purposes of illustrating a typical flow diagram for the combined hot and cold fluid systems, reference is made to Figs. 16 and 17. Fig. 16 shows an additional flow diagram which includes a pump for positive pressure and a by-pass for cooling. Fluid in pipe 91 such as from conventional municipal water supply or air is passed through a pump or blower 92 which may be by-passed through a bypass line 93, controlled by a valve 94, is

divided, and passes through a cooling unit which may be by-passed through a valve controlled line 96 as needed, is then passed to the cold fluid spray head 97 for spraying as independent cold jets at a rate and pressure controlled by a valve 98. Simultaneously, fluid is passed through a line 99 to a fluid heater 100, the hot fluid therefrom being modified in temperature by supplying cold fluid from a line 101 controlled in quantity by a valve 102, the hot fluid adjusted in temperature being then supplied to hot spray head 103 for spraying as independent hot jets in quantity and pressure controlled by a valve 10 Fluid may be collected in any container if desired such as 105 and rejected to a drain through a valve 106 by way of line 107 or passed as recycle to the pump 92 by way of line 108 controlled by a valve 109. If desired, where fluid is a gas the pump 92 may be replaced by a blower. Where the line pres sure in 91 is sufficiently high as in a municipal water supply, the pump 92 may be by-passed through line 93. Similarly, where the fluid supply seasonally is already quite cool, the cooling zone 95 may be bypassed by opening the valve 96 and closing a valve 110.

Fig. 17 as partially described above for manual vertical adjustment of a spray head, further includes the most simplified flow arrangement. Fluid from a source 10 such as a conventional municipal cold water supply line is passed in parallel through a heater 6'9 and cooler 68, the cooled water thence into cold water line 30 controlled in volume by a valve 31, continuing through line 30 which in part for resiliency may continue as a rubber hose 3011 from which it passes to header 29 and spray head 32 for conversion to individual cold water jets. Simultaneously, fluid after passing through heater 68 emerges in line 18 controlled by an intermediate valve 12 may have its temperature adjusted by blending with cold water from a line 14 controlled by valve 16, the ultimate volume of hot water being adjusted with respect to the cooled water in line 30 by valve 22. If desired, a test cock 22a for sampling the hot water is placed in the line. The hot fluid in line 18, which also may have a rubber hose 18a as part thereof for flexibility is passed into header 20 for hot jet supply from spray head tubes 24.

As thus described, fluids having a substantial temperature differential are sprayed against the body in a manner similar to a shower bath comprising a plurality of needlelike jets which stimulate the body by striking it as independent jets over a localized area of the skin and may be moved from area to area to cover the entire body by moving the spray head supplying jets from a movable mounting as shown in Fig. 5 to apply the jets to the entire body. The hot and cold jets strike the skin as separate impacts thereon as shown in the distinguishing dots in Fig. 15, those lettered X being hot drops or jets and those lettered Y being cold and which flow together and mix only after striking the skin. A highly stimulating eflect results upon the skin and the temperature of each jet may be adjusted to give an ultimate desired temperature of fluid on the body while simultaneously maintaining a substantial temperature differential of cold with respect to hot jets, the ultimate temperature being a resultant of the combined fluids on the skin. The method is operated and the device will operate as described to prevent substantial heat exchange between the jets until after striking the skin of the person being treated therewith.

Certain modifications of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art. Various types of valves and thermostatic controls may be substituted for accurate temperature control of the fluid supplied to the jet, various heating and cooling devices for fluid known in the art may be used, and various means for mounting and adjusting the position of the spray head for supply of jets vertically, horizontally, or in other directions against .the skin of the person being sprayed. It is accordingly intended that the several drawings presented herewith be regarded as illustrative of the invention and not limiting except as defined in the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A fluid spraying device adapted to apply a fluid spray to the human body said spray being composed of a plurality of hot and cold fluid jets laterally spaced a short distance from each other when sprayed against the human body suflicient to strike the body independently of each other but close enough for rapid admixture after contact with the body, said spraying device comprising a group of spaced tubes each angularly perforated to divide the fluid contents thereof into a plurality of individual fluid jets projected through said perforations in at least two oblique angular directions therefrom, a second group of spaced tubes alternately spaced with respect to said first group of tubes each perforated to divide the fluid contents thereof into a plurality of individual fluid jets projected through said perforations at a single angle outwardly therefrom and spaced in close relationship to said jets of the first group of tubes to project fluid as alternate closely spaced jets independently thereof, duct means comprising a header to supply a heated fluid to said first group of tubes for division into a plurality of hot fluid jets and independent duct means comprising a second header to simultaneously supply a relatively cold fluid to said second group of tubes for simultaneously projecting a plurality of independent jets of said relatively cooled fluid, both independently projected jets forming a combined closely spaced spray of independently hot and cold fluid jets.

2. A spray head for simultaneously projecting a plu rality of closely spaced independently hot and cold fluid jets without admixture thereof comprising a plastic block bored from one side thereof in a layer to form a plurality of fluid ducts terminating short of the opposite side and a plurality of ducts bored from the opposite side of said block terminating short of the first side, said second group of borings being alternately spaced to be aligned from end to end with the alternate unbored spaces between said first bored ducts, a series of minute borings from one face of said plastic block intercepting each bored tube to form fluid openings of both sets of borings in the face of said plastic block whereby fluid passed to each tube bored from each side is emitted in fine jets through each minute boring in said face, duct means comprising a header to supply a hot fluid to one side of said plastic block to spray heated fluid from the face thereof in a plurality of heated jets and independent duct means comprising a second header to supply a relatively cold fluid to the opposite side of said plastic block whereby relatively cold fluid may be simultaneously emitted in a plurality of cold jets from said finely bored face, whereby independently hot and cold fluids are emitted as individually spaced fluid jets comprising a spray.

3. Device as defined in claim 2 wherein the spray head has means to adjust the position thereof for vertical to horizontal independent hot and cold jet impingement against the object sprayed.

4. Hot and cold fluid spray device adapted to spray independent jets of fluid in a temperature differential for stimulating the skin of the human body comprising the combination of a hot fluid header having a row of spaced tubes fixed therein, each of said tubes being angularly bored to subdivide fluid in each tube into a plurality of fine needle-like jets, combined with a cold fluid header having a plurality of tubes fixed therein each cold tube being bored with a series of fine openings to subdivide the fluid into a plurality of fine needle-like cold jets, said manifolded hot tubes and cold tubes being assembled together as a spray unit in alternate spaced relationship to each other whereby both independently hot and cold fluid jets may be simultaneously emitted as a single spray from the assembly as a spray head.

5. A spray head for simultaneously projecting a plurality of closely spaced independently hot and cold fluid jets as a shower without substantial admixture of jets prior to striking an object sprayed therewith comprising a cold fluid header having duct means to supply cold fluid thereto in controlled volume and pressure, a hot fluid header having means to supply relatively hot fluid thereto in controlled volume and pressure, several cold fluid spray chambers each having a series of spaced perforations through a side each communicating with said cold fluid header, and several hot fluid chambers having a series of spaced perforations in a side and communicating with the hot fluid header whereby hot and cold fluids pass from each header to its chamber and is subdivided into a plurality of hot and cold fluid jets as a fluid is passed through the perforations, said hot and cold fluid chambers being contiguously arranged alternately hot and cold to supply both hot and cold fluid jets simultaneously as a single spray with their fluid jets therein independently spaced from each other, said spray comprising a plurality of both hot and cold fluid jets alternately spaced therein.

6. The method of simultaneously spraying hot and cold water jets in a temperature neutralizing pattern comprising spraying a plurality of hot water jets as several rows of individual hot water jets and simultaneously spraying cold water as at least one row of cold Water jets and positioning a row of cold water jets between two rows of hot water jets whereby upon striking the skin of a bather the cold water jets are temperature neutralized by the hot water jets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 511,008 Blunt Dec. 19, 1893 1,501,762 Ferguson July 15, 1924 1,733,054 Crill Oct. 22, 1929 2,413,002 Schurtz Dec. 24, 1946 2,585,133 Kempthorne Feb. 12, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 685,816 France Apr. 7, 1930 

